Strangely, I see the growing discontents with China this China that......but very few look back into history.
A hundred years ago, China was at the brink of dominated by foreign powers. Unfair treaties were passed time after time..... Chinese were treated as second class people. Chinese were persecuted everywhere across the World. The world kept quiet !
Today, through hard works and perserverance. Chinese excelled in every fields around the world. But now this has viewed as a threat :bsmilie:
In short, I sense nothing but FEAR.
Being a Chinese and well travelled! This is just my two cents worth:
Don't worry, China will not dump your (sovereign)bonds or close its market on you. We have lived through hardships and pains of almost being colonised. We are also very patient with your unhappiness. As long as you can lend us your ears.... we can talk(work) it over! That's the preferred choice I hope.
Is it wronged we worked harder and spend less. Unlike most of this world. :think:
However, once China decided(open its market) to spend more..in another word, consumed more.... the world complained the cost of petrol, metals and 'bad tourists'!
Hypocrisy?
Yes, & have we forgotten our country was once colonised when "Britannia rules the waves", was conquered by the Japanese? The West incl Europe has exercised their power, dominance & colonised so many countries in the world from Africa, to India, to China, etc. China was literally carved out, like Hong Kong, & shared between all the foreign powers. Looking further into history, see how America came about, by British descendants killing, driving out the red indian natives, to established the US of A. Yet China, despite its size, has always minded its own business, grappling with its own internal problems behind the "bamboo curtain". Now that China has learnt & paid for its lessons in blood & humiliation, came out from its own isolation, its ascendancy in this century has indeed struck both admiration & fear, attraction & resentment in many countries. The rise of the dragon has but only started but it still has a long way to go & it may not come out the way expected if the center (of power) cannot hold. One can only try to manage the fallouts, especially for a small city state like ours. We can call this nationalistic pride as arrogance if we like, but we ourselves, when we tried but to assert ourselves for our place in this world, have been termed arrogant, & viewed with suspicion by many too, even now.
If we look into the history of the world, in the two world wars etc, we see that all countries faces similar problems in their paths to development & identity, in their rise & fall.... China is no exception.
It is a small episode. It will blow over. Hong Kong is a part of China whether the Hong Kongers like it or not. They better get used to it. For China to take Hong Kong back from Britain is a matter of national sovereignty. Hong Kongers should see PRC mainlanders as their own countrymen. And not act as if Hong Kong is "different". Actually Hong Kong depends a lot on PRC. As a hinterland, as a resource for water, import of basic food stuffs and most of all for security/defense. They better wake up.
Separately I wish that some European/Australian/American (WHITE) woman residing in Hong Kong now is aware of this incident; and then carry out a small social experiment together with her (WHITE) daughter on the MTR. For this experiment, they should dress very well, as if of a high social status and wealthy. During the trip once inside the MTR cabin, the daughter can bring out her hot dog or pasta and start eating. Purposely spill a bit of it on the floor. Monitor whether any Hong Kongers dare to comment or stop the daughter from eating. If NONE, then it says something about HK society.
Agree on this. As to the experimental scenario, the response can be predicted...
